Seattle public school teachers reject proposed contract

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SEATTLE — The Seattle Education Association board of directors and the representative assembly both unanimously voted to reject the current contract proposal on the table from the Seattle School District.

Monday night, thousands of union members endorsed that decision by voting to reject the proposed pact. Negotiations with the district are expected to continue Tuesday morning.

The sticking points include a proposal for elementary teachers to work longer days after students leave the classroom.

The union says that is time for which the teachers won’t get paid while at the same time the district wants to eliminate supplemental pay those teachers get now.

The union says that amounts to a pay cut.

And speaking of teacher pay, compensation is another big issue.

The district is offering a 4% salary increase over the next two years and full restoration of a 1.3% salary reduction that was mandated by the state Legislature.

But union leaders say that is simply not enough to keep up with the high and rising cost of living in Seattle.

Also at issue are caseloads for educators and staff associates, and teacher evaluations.

Superintendent Jose Banda released a statement which reads in part; “We have been negotiating since spring and are committed to continuing discussions with SEA. We are hopeful that a fair agreement will be reached that focuses on the best interests of our students.”

SEA President Jonathan Knapp issued a statement that said, “By a near-unanimous voice vote Monday night, members of the Seattle Education Association rejected the Seattle School Board’s latest contract proposal, which they said falls far short on several major issues that directly affect students. The current contract ends Aug. 31, and school is scheduled to start Sept. 4. SEA members plan to meet again the evening of Sept. 3 to either approve a contract or take further action.”

2 comments

Frustrated Teacher

The "4% salary increase" is misleading. Teachers are not allowed to bargain the base salary which is set by the sate. That "4%" is 2% of the TRI money this year and next. For me, that would result in a "raise" of just shy of $240 this year. For the whole year. My rent went up more than that/month last year.

Chris

Boo Hoo! Try getting outside of your union bubble and you will see many have LOST income.

They hit us year and year for school levies and then when it comes time to do their stinking jobs they wait a week before school starts and throw a tantrum. Do you know how much extra it costs us non-union working stiffs to arrange care during this time you are walking the picket lines!